Brighter
by Zoey Seraphine Bates
Summary: Songfic for Brighter by Paramore.  I do not own the song or the characters.


She watched Gale scamper away into the forest, leaving her alone. His rage, how he could express how he felt about the capitol, made him irrevocably one of the most daring people she knew. She'd wanted to run away with him, take her little sister Prim, let him take a younger sibling as well. They could be like a family. Her mother would manage, and so would his. He'd laughed at her and ran off. He was still the most amazing person she'd ever seen.

**_So this is how it goes.  
Well I, I would have never known.  
And if it ends today.  
Well I'll still say that you shine brighter than anyone._**

He was thinking about all she'd said. How he'd ran away from the thought of being with her, even though it was all he wanted. It couldn't be that hard to just choose a sibling and run, but it was impossible to him. He couldn't let the rest of his family starve to death. She caught up to him, and demanded the rabbits she'd shot. He had no idea why she even let him carry them, like they were going to catch anything more that day. It was impossible to hunt when she was stretched out on a rock just big enough for the both of them, pressed into his side for warmth. He didn't want to talk about why he didn't want to go. It would just start a fight, and he didn't want to bicker with his hunting partner. Knowing her, she'd shoot him. He chuckled at the thought.

**Now I think we're taking this too far.**  
**Don't you know that it's not this hard?**  
**Well it's not this hard.**  
**But if you take what's yours and I take mine,**  
**Must we go there?**  
**Please not this time. No, not this time.**

She walked silently at his side. She couldn't place why she was so angry with him. It wasn't his fault the Capitol was cruel and unfair. She didn't know much. How to shoot a bow and arrow, how to make a few snares, and how to identify plants, sure, but not much book smarts. All she really knew, outside of survival, was that she didn't want to be without her best friend Gale. She'd always knew that it would just take a more powerful leader and Gale would be hung. They were both poachers, but she was much more careful about covering her tracks, making sure no one outside of the Hob knew about her hunting. Gale would sell to anyone who would buy, and everyone in town knew he was a hunter. If he were to be executed, he would show the town how to be defiant, how to make a statement that the Capitol would not win. He would always be a person people looked up to.

_**Well this is not your fault.  
But if I'm without you,  
Then I will feel so small.  
And if you have to go  
Well always know that you shine brighter than anyone does. **_

He was watching the 74th Hunger Games. He had faith that she'd win, a gut feeling. She needed to kill of Peeta. He didn't like the way he looked at her, or how he'd said he loved her, for that matter. He needed to back off of her. Couldn't Peeta see that her heart was already Gale's? Gale couldn't help but think that he could easily kill Peeta if it came down to that. The thought made him sick.

_**Now I think we're taking this too far.  
Don't you know that it's not this hard?  
Well it's not this hard.  
But if you take what's yours and I take mine,  
Must we go there?  
Please not this time. No, not this time. **_

She'd finally made it home. Greeted by Gale, with a bear hug, so tight she could barely breathe. He'd tried to talk her into running away. She said she couldn't, she had the Victory Tour and her family needed her. She told him he was free to go, that he didn't have to wait on her. He told her she'd want to run with him eventually. He was willing to wait, forever if that's what it took.

_**If you run away now,  
Will you come back around?  
And if you ran away,  
I'd still wave goodbye  
Watching you shine bright. **_

She knew she wasn't in love with Peeta. They were moving too fast, and she knew it. She didn't want to hurt him, ever, but that seemed inevitable now. She set him boundry lines. On the tour, they had to be "in love", but outside of that they were nothing, and if anything, friends. She couldn't keep leading Peeta on when she knew it was Gale she wanted.

_**Now I think we're taking this too far.  
Don't you know that it's not this hard?  
Well it's not this hard.  
But if you take what's yours and I take mine,  
Must we go there?  
Please not this time. No, not this time. **_

She watched Gale walk away. She clutched Peeta's hand. She didn't love Peeta like she had loved Gale, at least not yet, but he was all she had now. She kissed two fingers and held them out towards Gale, even though he couldn't see. She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks, and allowed Peeta to pull her into his arms. Peeta was nothing like Gale, not nearly as great as Gale was, but at this moment, Katniss Everdeen thought, "_maybe he's the best thing for me_".

_**I'll wave goodbye (You shine bright)  
Watching you shine bright (You shine bright)  
I'll wave goodbye tonight (You shine bright) **_


End file.
